The Clippers had a busy off season signing Baron Davis and the going through the whole Elton Brand fiasco. More recently, Elgin Baylor is out as GM after almost two decades with HC Mike Dunleavy taking over those responsibilities. Maybe it’s me but …. what the hell is wrong with this roster ???
Baron Davis returns home after a banner 21.4, 4.7, 7.8 final year at Golden State. More importantly, he played all 82 games avgg. 39 minutes after playing just 56 games in 2007. Jason Hart is a capable backup and rook Mike Taylor from Iowa State had some big exhibition games.
Cuttino Mobley (12.8) is solid at the two guard and will mentor top pick Eric Gordon, the star-crossed could be any kind of a player from Indiana. Gordon was thought of along the same line as Beasley, Rose, Mayo, and Love coming out of High School but pretty much mailed it in after the Kelvin Sampson firing. He could bomb, he could be a steal.
Chris Kaman (14.7, 12.7) has emerged as a quality big man in the post. He still has upside potential to score more and is an absolute beast on the glass. Brian Skinner is a solid backup and capable of providing 15 quality minutes for any roster in the league.
The Clippers were able steal errrrrrrrr acquire Marcus Camby for an mid-level exemption in the Denver payroll dump. Camby is an ex-defensive player of the year and with Kaman is a solid defensive and rebounding 1-2 punch. Another quality veteran, Tim Thomas, can fill in at Power Forward or the post.
At Small Forward, you have arguably the best rookie of last year’s crop, Al Thornton. The ex-Seminole does it all. He scores, he’s relentless on defense, and he’s fierce on the boards. Ricky Davis is not shy and can provide instant offense and comic relief on occasion.
IMO, this is a pretty nice mix of good young talent and quality veteran role players. Baron will run the show, Thornton and Gordon could ultimately become elite. Mike Dunleavy is probably a great fit for this particular bunch and I expect this team to be competitive right away and much improved by the end of the year. A .500 (41 wins) is definitely a possibility. Play the over.